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The Stories Behind These Famous Celebrity Stage-Names Are Quite Surprising.

Have you ever wondered how Snoop Dogg started Snooping, or how Pee-Wee Herman came up with a stage name that manages to be both creepy and adorable? Well, look no further: We've got the stories behind these celebrity stage names and more.

Not every star changes their name on the way to the top, but the ones that do have their reasons. Either their given name is too boring, too weird, or just not star material. Whatever the cause, their new names are memorable, unique - and each of them comes with an equally interesting tale of how or why they changed it. You're not going to believe what Albert Brooks' real name is.

#1. Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan was working at a construction site in Australia when he got his nickname. His co-worker couldn't pronounce his real first name, Kong-Sang, correctly, so he started calling him "Little Jack." Over the years, that morphed into Jackie, and the name just stuck.

Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images

#2. Harry Houdini

Born Ehrich Weiss, he changed his name when he began his career. "Harry" was the Americanized version of his childhood nickname, "Ehrie." His last name was a tribute to French magician Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin.

Getty Images

#3. LL Cool J

LL Cool J stands for "Ladies Love Cool James." When LL and his friend were teenagers, they began calling themselves LL Cool J and Playboy Mikey D in the hopes that it would help woo the ladies. LL has given interviews since saying that their plan was mildly unsuccessful - although he's had no problem wooing the ladies ever since.

Kevin Winter/Getty Image

#4. Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton was born Michael Douglas. He changed it because we already had a famous actor by that name, and there are not allowed to be two people of the same name in the Screen Actor's Guild.

Christopher Polk/Getty Images

#5. Rick Ross

Born William Leonard Roberts II, picked up his stage name from a drug dealer Freeway Rick Ross. This, despite the fact that Ross' previous career was correctional officer.

Noam Galai/Getty Images

#6. Pee-Wee Herman

His real name is Paul Reubens, and his stage name actually came from two different places. First, Reubens owned a brand of harmonicas called The Pee-wee. He also had a classmate named Herman, who was known throughout school as being a little...hyperactive. When asked why he chose to combine the two, Reubens said, "I like that it didn't sound like a made-up name, and that it was just kind of cruddy."

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